For Director Antoinette Jadaone, September meant one thing: heading to the Toronto International Film Festival for Sunshine
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been home to notable premieres all over the globe. This year’s edition spotlighted the Philippines’ filmmaking talent with the world premiere of Director Antoinette Jadaone’s (fondly known as Direk Tonet) Sunshine. A gymnast with an Olympic dream finds herself in desperate straits to keep autonomy of her body in the director’s newest feature and debut at the international film festival. Direk Tonet’s portfolio of films have an instructive value, illuminating taboo experiences that are often unaddressed or untold. As the only Filipino-made select at TIFF, the film makes an enormous and remarkable entry into the world stage—selling out its three-day screenings.
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Bringing this kind of story to Toronto and to the international film industry, MEGA Entertainment talks to the director about her monumental moment taking Sunshine from Quiapo to Toronto. Just as the director expressed, “It was my first TIFF, my first big festival, and I realized, my first time watching my film in a theater again for its premiere since 2019.”
Filipino Cinema, Filipino Designers
With Sunshine marking a significant season for Philippine cinema, Direk Tonet walked the red carpet in full Filipino fashion. “I really intended to have Filipino designer-made pieces at TIFF,” she declares. “Dadalhin na rin natin ang Pinoy cinema sa Toronto, isama na natin pati designers, ‘di ba?”
Though the director admits she was pressed for time in preparing for her looks, focused on Sunshine’s screening, she was resolute in suiting up in Filipino talent. “All the clothes I brought with me aren’t custom—they were all pull-out from my closet or straight from a collection,” Direk Tonet tells MEGA Entertainment. “Crammer na nga ako sa script, crammer pa pati sa damit. At least consistent,” she laughs.
Nonetheless, Direk Tonet suited up in pieces by renowned designers Mara Chua, Lilah Roché, and ḢA.MÜ. “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not fashion-savvy, so I’m very lucky to have friends who were willing to help me out. My fellow filmmakers Carl Chavez and Rod Singh connected me with ḢA.MÜ and Mara Chua, and my stylist Maui Segismar helped me out with my looks.”
Mara Chua has brought a one-of-a-kind touch to the fashion industry with her structured design elements. Direk Tonet wears a piece in peach made by the designer for TIFF; the low cut, exaggerated sleeves, and the draping along the waist presented a sleek yet elegant silhouette for the filmmaker, bringing a little sexiness to an otherwise covered-up look: “It’s a favorite of mine because nakaka-sexy ng shoulders!”
Direk Tonet is also an advocate for rewearing what you have, appearing on the red carpet in a design taken from her own archive. She donned a black tulle skirt by Lilah Roché that she previously wore at the ABS-CBN Ball, and paired it with a maximalist top from ḢA.MÜ. “The tulle skirt is already a favorite of mine,” Direk Tonet shares with MEGA Entertainment. “[It’s] easy to pair with the any top; with the ḢA.MÜ piece, the look turns edgy chic.”
ḢA.MÜ’s unconventional mix of soft and rough fabrics, along with their geometric silhouettes, create volume and texture that appeal to fashion-forward women. This specific garment draws attention to the wearer just as much to the top itself.
The filmmaker also spotlighted Filipino talent when it came to her glam up north. “I was happy to have come across Jazmin Salonga, too, a Toronto-based freelance hair and make-up artist,” she says.
Embracing the Essence of Filipino-made
This agenda of working with Filipino creatives not only extends to the director’s journey to Toronto, but it is also apparent in the film itself. Direk Tonet shares, “Sunshine’s overall production designer is Eero Francisco, and the costume designer is Zara Loayon; I’ve worked with both of them in Project 8 Projects’ films and series. Zara was guided by Sam Quizon, who was my costume designer in Never Not Love You and Alone/Together. Sunshine’s finale leotards, meanwhile, were designed by Lanz Angelo.”
Sunshine marks Direk Tonet’s feature directorial debut in Toronto as she uses her experience, talent, and skill to capture the intimate moments of the gymnast character’s life. Where countless sports stories find their end in her predicament, Sunshine’s begins.
In her years in the film industry, the director’s creative visions have always come to fruition by using film, fashion, and everything in between as an avenue of self-expression—and as a vehicle to spotlight local talent and creation. She says, “From then to now, mapa-creative process man or way of dressing up, it has always been: kung saan ka masaya, suportahan kita, ‘teh.”
